


Playmate WIP

by Lyumia



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Swearing, Work In Progress, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 21:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyumia/pseuds/Lyumia
Summary: Summary: Cloud Strife is randomly recruited to be Rufus ShinRa's bodyguard, a descion that brought confusion and doubt as to why a moody teenager with a questionable past was even considered to be qualified for the position. Cloud himself is the one who is most confused by all of this, but something tells him that ShinRa Junior knows something about himself that he doesn't.OrA story about fate, destiny, and taking the time to enjoy life.(Dollhouse rewrite) Currently under revision.





	Playmate WIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proposal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I had like 20 existential crisis' in between the time I last updated because a lot has been going on in my life since I've last posted on here.
> 
> It's all very personal, but something I don't mind sharing is that I got FFVII, and made it to the Golden Saucer… except I thought Joe was a woman based on his character sprite and… yeah... I thought he was a pretty woman and totally felt like an idiot and realized I need to do stuff in order to get back some dignity.
> 
> But anyways, here it is, the Dollhouse rewrite: PLAYMATE.
> 
> Note: That moment when you realize that the website does not save automatically and you lost 1,000 words to your intro chapter. Whelp, rip

Upon her lips the words of fate were breathed out with a sigh: A gentle kiss of promise delivered in silence under the watchful gaze of the man in the moon. Only the mournful bay of the wolves kept them company through the cold Nibel night, mother and son by each other's side till the sun rose over the tops of twisted mountain peaks. The dreary surroundings reminded the boy of a old memory. The raspy voice of an old woman that trembled with emotion as the owner of the voice gazed down on him with watery blue eyes when he was just a babe, her bony, shaking hands cradling him close to her chest where he could bury his head in the soft wolf furs she wore and feel secure. " _My sweet grandchild_." The old woman whispered. " _What misery will fate bestow upon you?_ " The words brought back the same chill the snow and withered trees did, clamping around his heart and filling it with anxiety. It was his fault there where here, he recalled with crushing guilt making him sink in resignation.

It was a small comfort to go away in his memories, to be free from the ever present ache of his feet, red and blistering from the unforgiving stone all the while bolting away from monsters who were drawn by the scent of blood. At least when he let himself get lost in his memories he could scrape the pleasant warm feelings from nights that were spent crowded on one bed looking out at the fog outside the window in the bedroom. The melodic voice of his mother retelling stories of old gods and incredible beasts were whispered to him by his mother who tenderly ran her fingers through his blonde strands, ignoring the way the wind rattled the windows in the house. At least he could use it to ignore the numbing cold sinking into his feet through his shoes.

He let out a miserable whimper, jerking him away from the past. He ducked behind his mother's skirt after she dragged him behind a rock by his upper arm. She peeked out from behind it, scowling at the sound of distant roar echoing through the mountain.

"Quiet." She hushed him when he whimpered, taking pity upon his tear stained face. "There will be plenty opportunities later." She brought their foreheads together, closing her blue eyes with a sigh. He frowned at the seared leather on her sleeve, tenderly rubbing the pale skin around the red burns as if his touch alone would make it throb less.

"Momma?" His voice cracked. Tears welled in his eyes but he would not let them fall. His mother told him not to cry, so he wouldn't.

She smiled, pushing his wild hair out of eyes. "Listen to me Cloud." He held her gaze, scared by the intensity of her expression. Watching her step away and stand, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly he was terrified seeing her like that- not because he was scared of her, but of what it could have meant. "When I say run, you run. Do you understand?" Her expression was void of the previous tenderness uttered before, now was a woman who was not his mother, but a warrior.

He didn't really - he didn't understand a lot, but the slight ache of his chest told him enough. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." She nodded, peering back over the rocks from their cover, the sound of metal sinking as she gripped the ornate hilt and began to withdraw the thin blade.

Footsteps thundered closer. A deep growl sent tremors through the ground and finally a large monstrous head poked out from above the rigged grey boulders they hid behind. Scales lined its skin, a dark acid green hue covered by glowing moss in some spaces. Two massive horns spiraled out of its massive head, its long neck twisting until one massive glowing green eye peered down on them. It's pupils thinned into slits as another rumble ripped the earth apart.

"RUN!" His mother bellowed, diving out from cover and dragging him with her by his arm, hot flames licking their hiding place and splashing it with hot glowing flames from its massive maw.

" _Cloud! Run! Run Right now!_ "

"Cloud run!" He flinched as he was torn out of the memory, ducking his head below the fist that was being swung at it.

He glowered up at his opponent, a tall jock with bright orange hair that stuck up in spikes. The boy panted, fists raised in front of his face, blue eyes peering over his bruised knuckles. Both their clothes were already rumbled, his own back was stained with spilt liquor from being thrown onto the ground. Cloud spat, pinkish saliva dripping from his bruised and bloody lips. He would have smiled at drifting off in the middle of a fight in another situation, but all he could do was raise his fists defensibly while the redhead glowered at him in his drunken state.

"Cloud! Get out of here!" The girl shouted at him again, dark brows furrowed and hands on her wide hips. He tore his eyes away from her brown irises that burned with challenge, urging him to listen to her and stop being a thick headed idiot.

A crowd was already starting to form around the two of them, cheers blending together in an indecipherable mess, camera phones flashing. He ripped the dark blue tie off from around his neck, fabric dragging on his skin before he tossed it aside and raised his own fists to block his face. "Fuck off Johnny." He snarled.

The redhead leapt at him, fists swinging and focing Cloud back to dodge his wild hooks."You fucked with my girl you bastard!"

He grunted, dunking under and punching Johnny in the stomach, making him double over. "She's not your property asshole!"

The sharp chirp of a siren cut through the noise, a heavy hush hanging over the room and cutting off the screams instantly.

"Fuck, the pigs are here!"

Everyone began moving in different directions, and without an organized flow of movement it was more panicked bumbling than a quick escape. Bodies shoved him aside, but he still managed to push his way through to the tall, girl, taking her hand and leading her to the back room. "Priscilla, C'mon."

"Cloud, we have to get out!" She ran a hand nervously through her thick dark hair watching him close the door behind him anxiously. "My parents will kill me if I get arrested - my scholarships-"

"I know," He soothed, striding further into the bedroom and jerking the window open. "There's a pipe right here with a rough wall. You should be able to climb down, even from the second floor."

She bit her full lips, nodding slowly as he helped her safely climb out and clung to the rusted metal. It swayed slightly under her weight, so he held it still so she wouldn't lose her balance. By the time her feet touched the ground there was already pounding on the door, and she was looking up at him and waving for him to come down. "ShinRa police! Open this door!"

He waved her away, turning back to face the wood that shook on its hinges from the sheer force with a heavy exhale. It swung back, uniformed officers filling the room. He slowly raised his hands and placed them behind his head, following the procedure of getting down onto his knees when one grunt roughly pushed him.

" _What misery will fate bestow upon you_?" His grandmother had asked that to herself a lot when he was younger while staring at him with a faraway look in her eye. He lamented while handcuffs were being clamped around his wrists. Something he never understood before, and something that his mother never felt inclined to explain.

The blonde sure as hell didn't know much about "fate" or if was even a thing but he figured since he was shoved into a dim concrete room, one way glass reflecting the bruises on his white skin and his angry red bleeding lips, it was fate who decided that his existence was something important enough to bring misfortune upon due to one superstition of an old family member angering the gods or having some curse or another. He couldn't remember. His family had too many to count, each becoming an increasingly more ridiculous story.

Fate: It went out of its way to ensure that no matter what he did or what was going on in his life, he would be the one that was absolutely miserable.

The click of a knob drew his blue eyes away from himself. A man in a blue uniform strode in, badges displaying his rank on his chest. "Cloud Strife." He leafed through papers that were in a open file in his hands, he brought his fingers and licked them before he continued to peel back the white sheets. "Aggravated assault, trespassing, underaged drinking, dog fighting…" Brown eyes glanced up at him from under the ShinRa military police force hat. "You've got a colorful rap sheet kid."

Full, pink lips were pressed together. Cloud could taste the metallic blood from them on his tongue.

"Let's see." The man took out a pen from his breast pocket, scribbling something illegible onto the paper. "A delinquent like you wouldn't get a light sentence, with your history you'd be lucky to even walk away without ten years of jail time, especially since it's one of the brass' kids you threw a punch at- a mighty hard punch too." The man capped the pen. Setting it to the side, he folded his hands together. "Under normal circumstances, that's what would happen."

A thick brow rose in slow motion, darker than the blond locks of hair that stuck up wildly on his head.

"See kid, someone must have been impressed by your… uh... criminal mischief, because you've got a once in a lifetime opportunity." The man raised his hands in exaggerated motions, his voice flat and listless. "A one way ticket to freedom." He must enjoy these theatrics, Cloud mused darkly. Taking part in the process of judge, jury, and executioner must be exciting.

Cloud dipped his head forward, his hair falling over his eyes. He never had much choice in the first place. "What is it?"

The man gave him a look he often seen reflected in the eyes of Junon fishermen, hailing up their squirming trout. "I'm glad you're smart kid." He extended his gloved hand for a handshake. "I'm glad you're smart." He echoed ominously.

He ended up being escorted out of the police station into a long black car, one that made him stop and raise a brow for a second before the same officer gave his shoulder a shove. He slid into the leather black seat, a pungent smell assaulting his nostrils that was a sweet blend of smoke, mako, and cologne. He looked at the occupants who sat across from him, blue eyes observing him through strands of blonde hair that fell over his forehead. On either side of him sat two men in dark blue suits, one with dark haired pulled back with a hair tie and the other a bald man with sunglasses covering his eyes despite the low light provided by the neon wires that glowed on the sides.

"Rufus ShinRa." He drawled to the blonde man in the center. The man was instantly recognizable, except instead of a brown suit he wore a white dress shirt and pants, one leg crossed over the other.

His lips turned up into a smile when he remained frowning at him quietly, speaking over the quiet music that played front the speakers. "Indeed, seeing as we're already aware of each other's names we can merely skip the formalities and get to the details of our meeting- seeing as I have arranged for you release as compensation for the following task I'm employing you for. Now it is our mutual understanding that-"

"Get the the point." He huffed, folding his arms over his chest. He could already feel the metallic taste of blood on his lips and combined with the fast driving limousine it was making his skull pound. The Wutaian man beside ShinRa hand twitched towards his coat, shrewd brown eyes regarding him unnerving stoicism.

"The point." ShinRa Junior laughed breathlessly, eyes traveling off to the side. "Of course." The man's brows furrowed, turning back to Cloud as he spoke firmly. "I'm bored, Cloud Strife." Cloud's lips twisted into a scowl while he opened his mouth to protest Rufus ShinRa cut him off once more. "Undeniably exhausted, and I can't get away from this… this existential fatigue."

"And?" Cloud snapped gruffly, considering the cons of just leaving the car. It seemed like the two men in suits were content stay silent and merely observe the stranger their charge took an interest in. "What do you want from me?"

"For you to be my bodyguard." The music slowed to a stop, another slower tune replacing it while the words floated around. "Of course, you could refuse… and have prison time…" He paused purposefully, his tone becoming even more condescending. "Just a thought."

Blue eyes narrowed further, sucking on his bottom lip his front teeth pressed into the skin, questions jumbling . Across from his Rufus ShinRa sat across from him - despite his claims he didn't look like someone that was bored, with his back straight and smooth hands folded into his lap. He looked like a man with a silver spoon merely conducting business as usual. Cloud glanced down at his own hands. His knuckles were bruised, and two of his fingers had dried blood chipping on his skin. Looking back up, he could see blue eyes staring back into his. Cool. Calm. Collected. "Do I even have a choice?"

A smile stretched on thin lips, a peculiar expression fluttering across his sharp features before sinking back into the persona of a despondent child moving pieces on a board game with no regard to the rules. "There is always a choice, Strife. Some of them you just can't conceive."

Cloud rolled his eyes, leaving back against the seat and folding his arms over his chest. "Deal."

There was undeniable excitement in ShinRa Junior's eyes now, lips twisting up into a smirk. The lines casting strange shadows on his pale face. He extended his hand to Cloud, hair falling over his eyes slightly as he spoke with barely contained enthusiasm. "Shake on it."

He did, staining the white of the fabric with a pale red. The words of an old folk song he heard in passing from Corel filled the car, brass instruments playing low and slow notes telling the story of an affluent man who strolled along the streets at night, offering charity to the miserable and unlucky, leading them deeper into despair in the end.

The man pulled his hand away with a certain smugness that Cloud found irritable, which was enough to ignore the invisible set of eyes boring down on him with a sneer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing, bleug. So this will probably have really slow updates but its something at least, also there's still going to be some major edits even to this, but since I'm about to go back to being dead to the world I might as well post this sooner than I was planning.


End file.
